Ask MetaFilter

How do I open this outdoor ceiling light fixture so I can change the bulb? It appears via Google image search that this may be a Hampton Bay LED flush mount ceiling light. That page is telling me this is a fixed LED light so when it burns out you have to get a whole new fixture!? It is less than 2 years old - should the LED have burned out already?
posted by Ike_Arumba to Home & Garden at 7:39 AM - 2 answers

My son decided to teach his partner how to drive his car before the partner obtained a learners permit (so no insurance). Minor damage to the other car: broken tail light and body dents and damage. The car is our next door neighbor's, but the car is currently not working. I know my son has a responsibility to fix it, but the neighbor is saying we will need to tow it to get it fixed. What is my son's responsibility? Does he need to get the quote himself, or just reimburse the neighbor?
posted by jamireles2 to Travel & Transportation at 6:17 PM - 14 answers

Simple question that I'd love to answer without physically cracking open one of my brush-pens. They're double-ended, with a "brush" end and a "pen " end. Are they more likely to be constructed so each end has its own ink supply, or sharing a large central one? [more inside]
posted by Lorc to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 9:42 AM - 1 answers

I'm hearing that the tariffs are going to raise the prices of consumer goods considerably. Not to be a Panicking Pauly, but would it behoove me to make a few strategic purchases of essential goods sooner rather than later? [more inside]
posted by mecran01 to Shopping at 9:35 AM - 32 answers

Reached into the very back of my refrigerator and found this package of Echo Falls Hot Smoked Salmon, still sealed. Guessing it's been there for about six months. I'm not clamoring to eat this, but could one do so and live to tell the tale? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Food & Drink at 8:26 AM - 10 answers

Can I use GPL 2+ licensed software in an MIT-licensed project? [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha to Computers & Internet at 4:25 PM - 8 answers

Saw the post about setting work boundaries on the blue. Am trying to figure out where I went, for four weekends in a row to a hospital in the Champaign area in the mid 90's. they had a bunch of hospitals in the IL area. The town also was big on Auto Parts warehouses. And I assume those hospitals all got bought out and renamed by the new owners. Does this ring any bells? [more inside]
posted by Windopaene to Grab Bag at 4:20 PM - 10 answers

Some short story narrated from the point of view of one of the players in a mediocre jazz band. They're auditioning a replacement player when one guy comes in and begins playing on a whole higher level than they ever could. When he finishes, it's clear to both the guy and the narrator that the band will reject him out of envy. I'm guessing the tale is of 80s vintage.
posted by Lemkin to Media & Arts at 3:32 PM - 2 answers

I am very into the black shirt that Beck is wearing in most of the video for Death Valley High (with Orville Peck). Any guesses where it's from or who the designer was? [more inside]
posted by dismas to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion at 1:45 PM - 4 answers

I remember an old British TV comedy where a exasperated character shouts, "for God's sake, they even opposed convoys!". Showing his annoyance at their bureaucracy's stubborn opposition to common sense. Several years later I was stunned to discover that it was literally true! [more inside]
posted by tirutiru to Media & Arts at 8:23 AM - 4 answers

My newly licensed teenager got in an accident on her second solo outing in my car last week. All involved are fine except for our poor vehicle. I'm trying to figure out the best plan of action. [more inside]
posted by gottabefunky to Grab Bag at 11:43 AM - 24 answers

Each bathroom in my late-70's house contains a little in-wall electric heaters. They look like this: photo 1 photo 2 Can you help me replace them? [more inside]
posted by eraserbones to Home & Garden at 10:22 AM - 8 answers

What apple juice brand can I buy that still tastes like full fledged apple juice? [more inside]
posted by raccoon409 to Food & Drink at 7:56 AM - 9 answers

I want to get a horse size 40" ball like these but my GSD will deflate this in a matter of seconds. Do they make a solid rubber ball this large? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation at 3:53 PM - 11 answers

I have acquired this precise ThinkPad directly from Lenovo.com. What is the latest and greatest in making sure there's no bloat and plenty of security? [more inside]
posted by kensington314 to Computers & Internet at 1:16 PM - 9 answers

Mr. rekrap and I are in search of our next long TV binges, with snowflakes and criteria inside. [more inside]
posted by rekrap to Media & Arts at 11:44 AM - 67 answers

We're going to cancun with 2 adults and 3 kids in April. I want to buy travel insurance. [more inside]
posted by MisantropicPainforest to Travel & Transportation at 9:52 AM - 14 answers

I'm currently in a middle management position trying to run projects and programs at scale. My clients and superiors increasingly want data-driven reporting, metrics etc. to back up project proposals and charters. I have some grad school training in data collection and analysis. I'm making this work in a rough way, but when I look around at the market for the job I want to have in 5 years, there's a heavy emphasis on being able to generate and prepare these types of reports. I'm trying to identify which kind of training would best help me be more fluent at this type of work. [more inside]
posted by edbles to Work & Money at 8:03 AM - 7 answers

I was working on a PowerPoint this morning. I saved it and closed it. When I re-opened it, every single image had been replaced by a blank rectangle with a red x in it and the words "This picture cannot be displayed." [more inside]
posted by tzikeh to Computers & Internet at 4:41 AM - 8 answers

i'm a self taught hobbyist sketch artist in my mid thirties - i have a mfa in creative writing, and make genuinely not-enough money in my current field of adjunct teaching and writing - recently i started taking a few art classes at a community art school and it has radically changed my relationship to my art. i am fantasizing about going to art school full time and dedicating myself to my art - is this reasonable or should i stick with keeping it a 'hobby'? more, long details within - [more inside]
posted by lightgray to Education at 3:21 PM - 39 answers

I'd like to hear a version of Jerusalem in a minor key. Bonus for other important songs transposed major to minor or vice versa. [more inside]
posted by Hactar to Society & Culture at 12:41 AM - 6 answers

I plan to give a gift to my sister of items for the bath or a home spa treatment, that type of thing. Do you have any suggestions? One thing she has been interested in in the past is a foot mask, but I am open to any thing related. We live in the USA, she in the Northwest and I in the Southwest.
posted by NotLost to Shopping at 10:45 PM - 11 answers

I have a giant pile of kale from a farm stand. So, picked literally this morning. Tonight for dinner we are having the tomato feta pasta that went viral during Covid. How should I cook this kale to complement that? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa to Food & Drink at 2:44 PM - 9 answers

I have about three cups of cherry tomatoes. What should I make with these? [more inside]
posted by NotLost to Food & Drink at 10:21 AM - 17 answers

As a home buyer or seller, do I qualify for getting some of my money back? [more inside]
posted by Toddles to Law & Government at 7:27 AM - 1 answers

My 7 year old has been a picky eater his whole life, along with having a really sensitive gag reflex. Things are okay with mealtimes, but sometimes the mention of food makes him gag so much that he almost throws up. Like, turns read, starts sweating, has to try really hard not to vomit. Suggestions? Is myofunctional therapy what we need? Details inside... [more inside]
posted by dabadoo to Health & Fitness at 7:58 AM - 38 answers

Are there any good, effective ways to dodge YouTube's music copyright detection systems these days? I'm no robber baron--just a regular non-online-popular person who would like to soundtrack his bike-ride videos with cool music. Maybe even a whole song that would be the sonic bedrock for the video edit. A decade ago, I was able to slow a music track down by 10 percent, and that worked. No longer! For context, I'm nobody, and get fewer than 100 hits on my videos, so this doesn't need to be a bulletproof solution.
posted by flod to Computers & Internet at 1:56 AM - 14 answers

What colors are “in” for home decor for babies and thirty-something moms? Help me yarn shop! [more inside]
posted by Mizu to Grab Bag at 10:26 PM - 18 answers

It's driving me nuts. I think the word starts with a P like “prospective” but that's not it. When you reconstruct a skull from a few fragments, build out a face from a skull or age someone 20 years. What's it called?
posted by brachiopod to Writing & Language at 4:05 PM - 38 answers

When I lived in Canada I could order contacts online without verifying my prescription with an optometrist so I could avoid optometrist fees - is there any way I can do that in the US today? [more inside]
posted by dokodomo to Shopping at 2:18 PM - 4 answers

Looking to improve my rudimentary skills in one foreign language and knock the rust off my skills in a different one. Is there a free mobile app or website that will be good for both of these needs? Is Duolingo still the best game in town even after killing/reviving(?) their owl?
posted by TwoStride to Technology at 12:45 PM - 13 answers

I work for a museum that has a well-known painting. An old, very bad image of the painting has been loose on the internet for a very long time, including as the reference image on wikipedia. How do I fix this? [more inside]
posted by PussKillian to Computers & Internet at 8:27 AM - 10 answers

So, it's been widely reported (NY Times, SF Chronicle) that the performers (often minors) in this pageant are under or un-paid, maltreated, forced to work while injured, and completely controlled by Falun Gong and its "leader" Li Hongzhi -- my question is why do legitimate venues (like Lincoln Center, NJ PAC, college auditoriums) allow this sort of exploitation to even be booked? It can't be ignorance. I know they make money, but wouldn't you refuse to book this act at your theater? Or is this just incredibly naive of me to ask?
posted by mmf to Society & Culture at 12:18 PM - 14 answers

I love Trader Joe's chili pepper sauce for Taco Bell-esque bean burritos. Alas, it's discontinued. What's a good substitute? Also: out of the available Trader Joe's sauces, which is closest? [more inside]
posted by kristi to Food & Drink at 10:43 AM - 2 answers

Looking for early cgi animation of cars having sex? [more inside]
posted by varion to Computers & Internet at 10:37 AM - 3 answers

I am befuddled by this slot in the hotel fridge door. [more inside]
posted by quinndexter to Food & Drink at 4:54 AM - 3 answers

Ear worm that I can't figure out. The main part of the chorus sounds like "Waaaaaaaailin'!" or "Raaaaaaay Lynn!" or "Heeeeeeyyyyy Lynn!" That's repeated two or three times and then it's "Never let me down oh no" or something along those lines, repeated a couple times in a more conversational tone. Genre/style is like the Rolling Stones or the Eagles or something along those lines. [more inside]
posted by lapis to Media & Arts at 8:06 PM - 19 answers

My brother is getting married soon and will be acquiring two certified pre-loved children. They're also planning to bring two additional kids into the world over the next few years. They are not financial planners. As the distant and solvent aunt, setting up some 529 accounts for the kids seems like the best path forward? Perhaps? I need information from people who have specific real experience with 529 accounts or similar. [more inside]
posted by phunniemee to Work & Money at 1:33 PM - 10 answers

I'm downloading my 23andme data and intending to delete my account there as well. It says a few pieces of this info will emailed to me "within 30 days." Does this still happen if I am immediately delete afterwards? Or must I wait for the emails to arrive first so as not to interrupt the process? Hazarding a guess and making up reasons that might support that guess isn't interesting or helpful. Does anyone know the answer to this?
posted by DirtyOldTown to Technology at 11:44 AM - 4 answers

Pursuant to a previous question I asked about a roof leak, I’m trying to figure out what kind of financial trauma I’m looking at. [more inside]
posted by kitten kaboodle to Home & Garden at 5:29 PM - 13 answers